1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to flexible apparel. More particularly, the disclosure relates to constructing non-stitching seams on flexible apparel used for water sports.
2. Description of Related Art
Flexible apparel is commonly used in water sports, such as diving, surfing and canoeing. The flexible apparel that is used in water sports must have the characteristics of lightweight, elasticity, buoyancy, being easy to put on and take off and comfortable touch of skin contact in order to allow the wearer to keep warm and to move freely without substantial constraints. The most commonly used material is foamed rubber.
Flexible apparel is made by joining separate foamed rubber sheets together. The joint is formed by adhesive bonding with optional sewing. The sewing operation causes waterproof deficiency in long-term use of the flexible apparel, as well as irritation to the wearer's skin by repeated scratching.
Therefore, some flexible apparel manufacturers have developed the process of using a sealant, tape, or liquid glue, to cover or replace the surface of the stitched foamed rubber sheet in order to overcome the defects caused by pinholes or sewing threads. But the sealant increases the thickness of the seam (glue plus threads plus sealant), and that impacts the aesthetic appearance. Moreover the sealant does not have high elasticity and thus decreases the stretchability of rubber foam sheet.